Sightseeing in Nanjing - what to see. Complete travel guide

In China, travelers can visit a city with a rich history and heritage – Nanjing. For a long time, Nanjing was the capital of this country. Nowadays, it is the capital of the Jiangsu province. Tourists visit this amazing city to see its numerous landmarks and get themselves familiar with the history and culture of Nanjing. It is particularly important to mention the thirty-three-kilometer-long wall that protected the city. Known as the City Wall of Nanjing, this wall is among the largest city walls ever built in China. Many foreign tourists try to see this fantastic architectural landmark during their visit to the Celestial Empire.

It is not clearly known when Nanjing was founded. According to the legend, the fort of Yecheng was built in the city in 495 BC. Twenty-two years later, the State of Yue captured the region and built a new fort – Yuecheng. The next mention of Nanjing dates back to the 14th century. This is when the rebellion against the Mongolian Yuan dynasty emerged in the region. For fifty years starting from 1368, Nanjing was the central city in Hongwu. This is when the territory of Nanjing was protected by a wall. Even when it was decided to move the capital to Beijing, Nanjing remained a “subsidiary” center of the empire.

In 1842, Britain occupied Chinese territory. The Taiping rebellion emerged in the city eleven years later. The rebels destroyed many historical landmarks. The emperor decided to return the capital to Nanjing because, in his opinion, this settlement was the cradle of numerous rebellions. In the winter of 1937, the Japanese army entered the territory of Nanjing. Known as the Nanjing Massacre, this event was a bloody page in the history of the city. The death toll exceeded three hundred thousand Chinese people. It became possible to free the country from the invaders only in May 1946. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The Nanjing Museum is one of the first landmarks in Nanjing that tourists prefer to visit after their arrival. The establishment exhibits numerous collections dedicated to Chinese art, as well as numerous artifacts discovered in the country during numerous archaeological excavations. Starting from 1933, which is the year of its opening, and until the 50s of the same century, this was the main museum in the country. Thanks to the efforts of its first president, Cai Yuanpei, the collection of the museum featured roughly four hundred and twenty thousand unique artifacts, the age of many of which was more than six thousand years.

Currently, the exhibition occupies an area of roughly seventy thousand square meters and features ancient calligraphic scrolls, unique silverware, various items made of ceramics and nephrite, and a large collection of ancient weapons. Besides this, there are artifacts found in Nanjing that give us information about the lifestyle and culture of local people in different epochs. The museum’s collection regularly gets new precious items. The management team keeps an eye not only on the exhibits but also on the building and the adjacent territory. A beautiful park surrounds the building. In the park, there are small summerhouses and a big tent where it is so pleasant to relax.

How about looking at the symbol of Nanjing? For this purpose, visit the Zhonghua Gate or simply the Gate of China. This gate was built during the reign of the Ming dynasty. The construction is a defensive complex that includes the gate and high walls that surrounded the former capital of the Republic of China and protected it from enemy attacks. The construction is made of bricks – walls were thick enough to stop an army. Tourists still come to admire the strict elegance and clear lines of the famous landmark.

Inside the gate, there are small rooms where the city’s army was keeping its food and weapons. These rooms were also handy in case of a long siege. The rooms had enough space for almost three thousand soldiers – this fact once again proves how large the construction is. Nowadays, there are mini museums in the rooms. Visit them to see many valuable artifacts from the Ming dynasty period. In Zhonghua, visitors can learn more about the history of Nanjing and China in general or they can try something amusing, for example, archery or wield various weapons.

Lukou International Airport is situated near Nanjing. The distance to the city center is thirty-five kilometers. It regularly receives flights from various European and Asian countries. If your country doesn’t have a direct connection to Nanjing, it is comfortable to fly to Guangzhou first. The total time in transit from Europe is roughly thirteen hours. Some air carriers offer longer flights – up to fifteen hours. This is particularly true about connecting flights. To get to the city center from Lukou Airport, tourists can use the metro or bus. The journey time is half an hour and one hour respectively.